1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to multi-station reloading apparatus utilized to reload spent cartridge cases and in particular it relates to a drive mechanism for a powder measure that engages only when a cartridge case is present in a powder reloading station.
2. Background Information
Multi-station reloading presses are utilized to reload cartridge cases. A single apparatus includes multiple stations that perform the operations of de-priming, sizing, priming, powder dispensing and seating of a bullet on a cartridge case. The presses are most often lever operated and have a moveable ram onto which an indexable shell (cartridge) plate is mounted on a holder. Mounted above the shell plate and holder is a multiple station die plate. The press will typically have five stations with each station tooled to perform a separate operation on a spent cartridge case. A common setup is for station one to deprime and size the cartridge, station two to prime and expand the cartridge case mouth, station three to dispense a powder charge into the case, station four to seat a bullet in the cartridge, and station five to crimp the bullet to the case.
The station that dispenses the powder has a powder measure. In certain configurations a drive mechanism dispenses powder in response to operation of the press. Particularly in the start up and the completion of the cartridge reloading process, i.e. before the first cartridge has been advanced to the powder dispenser station and after the last cartridge has been advanced past that station, it is necessary to deactivate the drive mechanism that causes the powder measure to dispense powder. (A cartridge case is not present at the powder dispensing station in such circumstances.)
Thus in the prior presses, before starting the reloading operation the powder drive mechanism is disconnected. Case #1 is inserted into the shell plate at station one. The press is actuated by manual movement of a lever which moves a ram upward. Case #1 enters a die in the die plate and the first operation (de-prime and size) is performed. The ram is then retracted by movement of the lever in the opposite direction and on the down stroke of the ram, the shell plate is automatically indexed, which advanced the case #1 to station two. The ram continues in its down stroke and a primer is installed in case #1. A case #2 is then inserted into the shell plate holder at station one and the press is cycled again. Case #1 has the case mouth expanded, and case #2 is de-primed and sized. The shell plate is again automatically indexed on the down stroke of the ram and case #1 is advanced to station three (the powder dispensing station) and case #2 is advanced to station two where a primer is installed. A case #3 is inserted into the shell plate at station one. At this point the operator has to remember to re-connect the drive mechanism for the powder measure since the case #1 was now in the powder dispensing station.
The procedure is continued with a new case inserted into station #1 until all of the cases have been reloaded. When the last case to be reloaded is indexed to station four, the operator has to remember to disconnect the mechanism for the powder measure so powder will not be dispensed as the cycles are completed for the remaining cases on the shell plate.
The charging of a case with powder is one of the most important steps in reloading cases. Care must be taken to dispense only one charge of powder. While it seems a simple task for an operator to simply dispense the powder manually, it is easily overlooked, or two charges are dispensed. During the cycling of the press the operator is not only inserting cartridges into station one, but is also visually checking the presence and correct orientation of the primer, loading a bullet into station four and of course cycling the press by operating the hand lever. It is, therefore, very easy to make an error at the powder loading station.
The disadvantage of the drive mechanism of the powder measure being directly connected to the ram motion, is that the powder measure will dispense a charge of powder as the ram reaches the top of the stroke regardless of the presence or absence of a case. Therefore the operator has to remember to disconnect the drive mechanism in those instances where a case is absent from the loading station.
The present invention has a powder measure drive mechanism that will function only when a cartridge case is present in the powder loading station. The present invention is not, however, the first to automatically control powder dispensing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,606 issued to Richard J. Lee in 1983 utilizes the cartridge case as a direct link between the ram and drive mechanism. If the cartridge case is not present, the drive mechanism remains inactive. However, the Lee device is complex and inefficient as compared to the device of the present invention summarized below.